Search For The Twin
by Kifo Entiegon
Summary: Okay. So I was a little weirded out when my music teacher told me that my long-lost twin brother was dead. I began to get suspicious when three kids showed up looking for ME. Soon after, I became worried for my sanity when I was jumped by a gang of seal-dogs. Only one thing was on my mind. Why me? OC story. T for safety. Hiatus
1. Freaked Out By A Dream

**Here it is, folks. The sequel to The Cursed Demigod. Hope you enjoy this story as much as you enjoyed Lee's story.**

**Just so you know, I don't own anyone or anything that belongs to Rick Riordan.**

* * *

**Search For The Twin:**

**_Freaked Out By A Dream_**

" Dominic! Dominic, it's time for breakfast! Wake up!"

My eyes snapped open as Grandpa's voice echoed through the door. They flickered to the digital clock beside me. Five-thirty. Great. With a groan, I managed to convince myself to get out of bed, turn on my light and stumble over to my closet. Gran has this thing about being dressed before I go down to the kitchens, regardless of what day it is. It was also my job to make sure that the dogs were fed before I went to school. So I play a little trick on my Gran. I know, I shouldn't. But it is completely harmless.

I pulled out today's clothes and laid them on my bed before putting on yesterday's clothes. Once I was presentable (to Gran's standards), I turned to my chart which I had on my desk next to my calendar. Okay, so today was Friday. I still had to eat, feed the dogs, pack my bag and wait at the bus stop for the school bus. Or was that pack my bag first then feed the dogs? That's when my chart came in hand.

You see, I have long term memory loss (at least, that's what I think it is). I got into a little accident with an over excited adult St Bernard dog when I was younger. The end result was that I ended up in hospital with a split skull and no memory what so ever. I can't tell you exactly what happened because, well, I don't remember. Seriously. All I remember is seeing a big dog at the other end of the run, fuzz and a hospital room.

It took me another three goes looking at my chart just to remember what I had to do in the mornings. Once I was ready, I let the smell of Gran's sausages and eggs carry me down to the kitchen. Now that was one thing I would never forget.

Gran was a stout old woman with a lovely temper and the wonderful ability to cook. She was dressed in her usual white flowery apron over a mauve and white dress. But I warn you. Don't get her mad. She kind of has this effect on people where, even if you've forgotten her, once you've seen her mad you'll never forget it. The entire town knows her as 'the sweet old lady down the road with one hell of a temper'. She piled about three slices of toast onto my plate and handed me my breakfast, not letting go until I kissed her good morning.

Grandpa was already sitting at the table having his own breakfast – four sausages, three eggs, four slices of toast, two grilled halves of a tomato and a massive glass of freshly squeezed orange juice from the jug. He was wearing his usual farm clothes; full-length overalls over a checked shirt. The only problem was that those clothes had been out-dated for the past ten years. In front of him, as always, the daily newspaper was opened.

I poured myself some juice and started digging into the sausages and eggs. After a few more minutes, Gran joined us at the table with her usual smashed banana and jam toasted sandwiches. I say smashed, because she literally smashes those poor things to death. I know it sounds disgusting, but the old girl isn't as young as she once was. With no teeth and no taste buds, you tend to eat what you can.

" How were your dreams last night, Dominic?" Gran asked. This was the morning routine. Not 'how did you sleep' but 'how were your dreams'.

" Same as always." I replied.

" What was so weird about it this time?" Grandpa said from behind his paper.

" It was the same wolf one again. But this time _he_ was in it."

" He?"

I got up and picked up a photo of my grandparents and me with a boy who looked exactly like me. Neat blonde hair that always seemed to sit in a navy crop, sky blue eyes that looked like they could see into the future, a button nose that always looked out of place no matter what angle you looked at it from, a smile that (apparently) could win any girl's heart, freckles under the eyes. The only differences, I was an inch taller and I liked earthen colours. He seemed to like blues. It was probably from the way I was brought up because Gran and Grandpa both said that we were twins. The only problem was I didn't remember him. And as soon as our family reunions were over, I'd forget he was even there. I took the photo back to the table and pointed at the look alike.

" Him." I said.

Both Gran and Grandpa paled. You see, my wolf dream usually had scenes of death in it. To be honest, the wolf was going around killing everybody. It didn't stop until everyone except me was destroyed. Last night, the look alike was at my feet with his neck ripped out. It was the first time he'd been in my dreams. But it was certainly not the first time I had had that particular dream. The reason why I know it so well is because I've been having the same dream every night for the past four months. Oddly enough, they started on July Fourth… the day that I started feeling like a part of me was missing.

" You sure it was him?" Grandpa asked, his usually rough voice tinted with fear.

" Positive. The wolf had got him." I replied, suddenly no longer wanting my breakfast.

There was silence.

Grandpa broke it with a sad nod of his head. " Okay. I'm sure it was just a dream. Go check on the dogs, will ya? Your Gran and I need to talk. Off you go, now."

I looked from Grandpa to Gran before looking down at my plate. There was still half a sausage and an egg left. Usually the plate would have been polished off. With a small nod to myself, I got up and cleared my place. Gran and Grandpa waited until I was out of the room before they started talking. But as I walked out to the kennels, I overheard some of their conversation.

" It couldn't be, right?" Gran was saying.

" I'm not sure, Anna. But I hope not." Grandpa replied.

" And what if Derrick calls this afternoon like he did last time? Oh, Cooper. This is turning into that time when Dominic had that dream about John going missing. What will Tamara say about something like this happening to either one of her boys?"

" Now you listen to me, Anna…"

I'd heard enough. Swallowing down that hard lump that had been growing in my throat since Gran had first asked me about my dreams, I walked outside and towards the kennels making sure that the backdoor slammed shut behind me.

* * *

The kennels. Home to nearly twenty purebred St Bernard dogs. And I had to feed them all. That's about seventeen or so large bowls of premium dog food to give to about seventeen large hungry mouths. The only good thing about all this was that the dogs were in large runs with two bitches or one stud to a run. Unless, of course, one of the bitches was due to give birth, then they were moved to what I call the 'birthing pen'.

Half way across the yard, a mass of black, tan and white came bounding out of nowhere and leapt at me. Successfully managing to knock me down, it proceeded to try and lick my face clean off. I'd like you all to meet Jayden. He's a three year old St Weiler. And let me tell you now, he is no light-weight. He's exactly 69 cm, has a shaggy coat like a St Bernard dog, and the head of a Rottweiler. As for his coat, picture a Rottweiler. Now give that Rottweiler a white tail tip, a white moustache and stripe from nose to forehead, white toes on the forepaws, a white patch in the form of a V on the shoulders and back, and a white undercoat going from a sharp point on the chest, down the stomach and branching off down the hind legs similar to a husky. That's Jayden.

To be honest, Jayden was an accident. About three years ago, a male Rottie got into the run with one of our bitches, Teleri. When we found out that she was pregnant, we were praying to everyone and everything we knew that it was going to be a phantom pregnancy (That's where pregnancy signs are shown but there is no baby inside). The reason for this was because Teleri was one of our grand champions and she was seven years old. Considering the average lifespan of a St Bernard is ten years, she was an old girl. When it turned out that she really was pregnant, the first thing Grandpa said was 'we need to get rid of those pups'. Both Gran and I disagreed, Gran saying something about it being too dangerous for her in her age.

So the pups were born. Grandpa didn't like it, but he let Teleri raise them until they were weaned. Then he did the unthinkable. I found out about his plans one night and, in the middle of the night, snuck into the kennels with one of my friends. Lance had agreed that what my grandfather was going to do was just plain wrong and so had agreed to take two of the pups for me… as long as he got to choose one of them. We ended up picking two boys; Jayden and a mahogany brindle and white fluffy Rottweiler he named Chaplin. The next day Grandpa took the remaining seven to the vets, not even caring that two were missing, and came home alone. He watched the vets give the injections.

While he was gone, though, I told Gran what Lance and I had done. She didn't like it, but she agreed to talk to Grandpa about it. In the meantime, both Lance and I had to promise that Jayden and Chaplin would get desexed. Thankfully, we had most of the money combined. Both Gran and Lance's parents helped us for the last bit. When Grandpa found out, I was grounded for two months. Which meant that Lance still had to look after Jayden for me. The first thing I did as soon as my sentence was over was get Jayden and bring him home. Now he's just a pet.

" Yeah, okay, Jayden. Heal." I said.

Immediately, the dog got off me and sat, rather uncomfortably no doubt, on a brick. Unfortunately, Jayden's not the smartest of dogs. He once ran head on into the side of the house. I don't think he's been the same ever since. In any case, I left him on his brick and continued onto the Kennels to feed the purebreds.

* * *

Things started getting weird at school. First of all, the new kids wouldn't stop staring at me. They had this same staring problem yesterday as well. I couldn't say about Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday because I wasn't at school. Monday, I had arrived home late after showing one of our St Bernard dogs. Tuesday, I had a specialist's appointment so that was another day off school. And Wednesday, my class had an excursion to some place. They had no chance. But apparently they were now friends with Lance and the rest of my little group. At the moment, we were all sitting in the playground, trading stories and otherwise enjoying lunch.

I guess a little introduction is in order. Next to me sat Lance. He was part Hawaiian, so he had the brown skin and black hair of the Native Hawaiians. However, instead of brown eyes he had green eyes that could be slightly off-putting at times. His eyes were probably the only link he had to his father, though. Well, that and his dyslexia. Everything else leaned more towards his mother's side. A little secret; he was madly in love with this Hispanic girl in our class named Maria.

His older brother, Keoni, sat next to him hand in hand with his girlfriend, Penelope. He was a lighter brown than Lance and had his father's blonde hair. But he had his mother's brown eyes. And unlike his brother, he doesn't have dyslexia. He also had three massive scars on the right side of his head and had no right ear at all. You'd think, at first, that some wild animal had mauled him. The truth was he and his mother had been in a car accident almost a year ago. Now, he can't get behind the wheel of a car anymore without remembering what he did to his mother.

Penelope was busy fussing over the new girl's hair, as usual. Honestly, I felt sorry for her. She had undergone at least four different hair styles in the past fifteen minutes. This is where I think it's safe to say that Penelope wants to be a hairdresser when she leaves school. She had the warm smile and friendly attitude that most people would expect a hairdresser to have.

The new kids sat together. There was a black haired girl who had this uncanny ability with plants. It's like she can control them or something. She seemed to be quite at home in the country… even if it did mean losing her hair at lunch time to a fussy Penelope. To her left sat a Greek looking boy with shaggy black hair and sad grey eyes. He had a cuff bracelet on his right wrist and wore a wolf pendant around his neck along with something that he kept hidden under his shirt. He was also the one who liked to stare at me and seemed to always position himself so that I was always in his vision. But today he seemed distracted about something, almost like he was in pain.

Next to him was a tall, athletic blonde dude I swear was older than what he claimed he was. I also got the feeling that he and I had some kind of family resemblance, but I couldn't figure out how. Not to mention the scary resemblance to our music teacher, Mr Pyrrhus. In any case, he seemed to be worried about the grey eyed one. And, probably not for the first time, I got the feeling that those three knew each other from somewhere.

Last but not least, there was Tristan. Tristan was a quiet boy, usually. He had brown hair and hazel eyes. And I noticed that he was having a hard time keeping his eyes off the new girl. This time, however, he was having a hard time keeping his mouth shut as well as his eyes away. Don't worry. He doesn't have any problems that we know of that lead to him needing to be quietened. Lance had just finished explaining the latest craze in the world inhabited solely by Chaplin. Chaplin was almost as smart as Jayden… which wasn't very smart. But I had a nagging feeling about the new kids, like I was one of them somehow but needed to stay away from them.

" Who are you again?" I asked them, earning a sigh from Penelope as she finally let the girl's hair go.

" Nicky, Nicky, Nicky. What are we going to do with you?" She said, a small smile gracing her makeup coated lips.

" Come on, Penny. Leave him alone. He's getting better." Keoni replied, defending me. Though, I had a feeling that it wasn't going to last long.

" Yeah!" I agreed, having forgotten my earlier question.

" It just takes him a few months."

What did I tell you?

" That means you should take it easy on him, too." Lance said, punching his brother lightly in the arm.

" Why?" Keoni asked.

" Because…"

And that's where the brothers went into a full length argument about whether or not people should 'take it easy on me'. Considering this happened on a regular basis, Penelope, Tristan and I just tuned it out. The new kids just watched in amusement. Apparently, this was a common appearance where they came from because the blonde haired dude was trying to stop himself from laughing. The grey-eyed one, though, seemed to be on the verge of tears for some reason and the girl was comforting him. I figured maybe they were an item or something.

" Gods, this reminds me of Kayla and Austin." The blonde dude whispered. At least, I thought he said 'gods'.

" 'Gods'?" I questioned.

He paled almost instantly. I guess he really did say 'gods'. But why would he plural the word? There's only one God… isn't there? I pushed the thought out of my mind as Lance and Keoni stopped trying to get the better of one another (they had resorted to wrestling in order to sort out the argument). And the fact that they looked guilty led me to believe that Penelope had something to do with stopping them. True to his nature, Tristan had stayed quiet. But he did, however, seem to have his priorities straight.

" So, to jog Dominic's memory, who are you three again?" He said.

" I'm Katyana Rose." The girl said, pointing to herself. " And this is Lee Harvey-King and Will Solace." She pointed to her two companions as she said their names.

That's right. Lee was the one who came out with the words 'you look just like him' when we first met yesterday morning. That was freaky in itself. But he had said the word 'him' to me just like I say the word 'him' to my grandparents. I got the feeling that we were both talking about the same guy because I figured that no one else could look just like me other than _him._ And the way Will had been looking at me at first, I was almost sure that he was going to burst out with the same words or something like that. I'm telling you now, if he had of, I would have decked him.

I would have said something, but Lee's left arm began twitching. All focus was instantly turned on him as Will started muttering something in his ear. Unfortunately, whatever Will was saying wasn't helping because Lee fell into a fit. I'm ashamed to say that I stood up and ran into the school building, up the stairs to the second floor and curled up in front of the music room. My wolf dreams had always started with a boy, much like Lee, having a fit and the wolf erupting from the body of its first victim. I wasn't keen on having that dream come true.

Unfortunately for me, the empty hallways echoed any noise that it encased. And the staircase was like a perfect tunnel. If something happened upstairs, everyone downstairs would hear it and vice versa. It also made things sound distorted, especially when you're trying to hide yourself from everyone (like something happening upstairs when it's actually happening down stairs). So it was that I began freaking out and pressing myself closer against the wall when I heard the sounds of footsteps and people calling my name.


	2. My Music Teacher Sings A Sad Song

**Search For The Twin:**

**_My Music Teacher Sings A Sad Song_**

The footsteps got louder. I figured if I sucked in my stomach and held my breath, no one would notice me. The only problem was I practically had no stomach to suck in. I always went for a run around town with Jayden, Lance and Chaplin after school. Both Lance and I were as fit as we could be because of that and our various games we played in the park with Keoni and Tristan on the weekends. Sometimes Keoni's other friends would also join in if they weren't too busy. And I'm going off on another ADHD moment. Not helping my current problem.

Hell, I even tried standing against the wall and practically begging that the wall would swallow me up. Unfortunately, that never happened. Instead, the feet kept getting louder. But aside from my name being called through the hallways, I heard singing. It was a mournful song, like something from an ancient civilisation funeral or something. What was more was it was accompanied by the sound of a stringed instrument… a lyre maybe? In any case, I was freaking out even more. On one side, I had my friends looking for me. On the other side, I had someone singing an ancient funeral song while playing a lyre. I was trapped.

I waited, not knowing what I was going to do. My friends had to be making their way up the stairs by now. And even if they weren't; if I dashed out of hiding now, I was sure to be spotted. The singing got louder and so did the calls. Without even realising what I was doing, I closed my eyes and prayed that I wasn't about to be discovered by anyone. Of course, with the way my luck was turning out that day, that prayer obviously went unheard.

The bell rang.

And I had music class with Lance, Tristan, Lee and Katyana.

In a matter of seconds the still tension that had engulfed me was washed away with the sudden buzz of life in the school halls. Slowly I opened my eyes expecting to see someone in front of me and trying to get an explanation out of me. But sight and sound had blurred together into one big mess of things. I sensed rather than saw someone open the door to the class room and lead me inside away from the rest of the school.

By the time I was at my desk, my mind finally registered that I was sitting in the classroom and looking into the face of my music teacher, Mr Pyrrhus. At first glance, you'd think that My Pyrrhus belonged on the beach with a surfboard under his arms. He had the look of a surfer from the sun kissed hair to the body type. And he had to be a seasoned surfer because of the slight beard he was growing. It was really just stubble running down his cheek and around his mouth, but hey. A beard's a beard. He also had this thing for music… which is what brought him to teach at McKinnley High School (so he says).

People say that I looked like a younger version of him. But I couldn't have been. For starters, he could have only been twice my age… and I was fifteen going sixteen in a month's time. I was born in Troy, Michigan, on November 20th. When someone asked him in order to make a comparison, we found out that Mr Pyrrhus was born in Delos, Greece. That, of course, sent everyone to the History teacher where we learned that Delos was an archaeological site. We figured that his mother had been on the site when she had given birth and he had been rushed to the nearest hospital. From then on, people got it in their heads that Mr Pyrrhus had moved to America, met my mother, fell in love and then had me but didn't know he had me because (for some reason) my mother had left him before she even realised that she was pregnant.

Personally, I wanted to know what sort of drugs these people were on. Because I'm pretty sure that Grandpa would have known who my music teacher was that first (grand) parent-teacher night he went to. Grandpa kind of has this super sense where he can remember anyone's face. He's also a bit of a manipulator. So you better watch out if you get him mad otherwise he'll sick Gran onto you. And that's not fun. Anyway…

" Are you feeling alright, Dominic?" Mr Pyrrhus asked, a slight Greek accent gracing his voice like he was trying to hide it or something.

" I… uh… I think so." I replied quietly.

" That's good then. But just between you and me, you might want to focus less on the more gruesome parts of your dreams and more on the less obvious parts of them. You'll find it will help understand them better."

" Sir?"

With a subtle wink, my music teacher returned to the front of the class. That was when I noticed he had placed a stringed instrument on his desk. It was a modern day version of the Ancient Greek instrument (that upside-down D with strings in its centre), but it looked like it was made from real gold and the strings were made from real bronze. And I was pretty sure that those bronze figures etched into the base weren't of some random dude that travelled the sky with a bow strung over his back and a lyre in his hands. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that Lee had gotten over his fit and was watching me curiously.

" When I say 'call of the wild', what comes to mind?" Mr Pyrrhus asked, starting the lesson.

" That Jack London book!" One of the girls in the back row screamed out.

" Good try, but no. Anyone else?"

" The wolf." I heard Lee mumble.

" Exactly." It had been figured out long ago that Mr Pyrrhus had sonar hearing even though he never looked like he was listening. " And why, Mr Harvey-King, can the wolf be considered the call of the wild?"

" The wolf's howl is considered by some to be the essence of the wild. Its mystery captivates us, sending chills down our spines but also the urge to find what we have lost over the ages. What's more, no two wolves, no two howls, are the same. They are a harmonious creature and -"

" Yeah, that's enough kid." To be honest, I got the feeling that Mr Pyrrhus was slightly off-putted by the amount of information this kid had locked up in his skull. I couldn't blame him. But what caught me was when I heard my music teacher whisper, " Definitely her son."

I think Lee also heard him because a light shade of pink rushed across his face. Only problem was, I wasn't sure if it was out of embarrassment or not. I decided not to ask. After that, my mind began to wander... which wasn't like me at all. Usually music class got and kept my attention. But for some reason, that day was different. Yet another abnormality on a day that should have been classed as normal. I should have known that that day was the beginning of a new normal from the time Grandpa slammed on my door to wake me up.

With my seat being next to the window, my head automatically turned to look up at the clouds. For some strange reason, I had this fascination with the sky. And the clouds always seemed to get my attention no matter what was going on around me. Most of the time, the various shapes that I imagined them formed in helped to calm my mind from reality. But there was the odd occasion where one particular cloud would make a striking resemblance to something that either scared me or made me angry. This was one of those times.

Staring at me, right in the face, was a murderous looking wolf. Well, the clouds had formed a snarling wolf head in surprising detail. And the fact that they were storm clouds kind of didn't help in the least. I was just thankful that there were no flashes of lightning… yet. Just the sight of the wolf froze me in place. Because I was almost certain that that wolf was supposed to be the same one from my dreams (then again, I think all wolves are the wolf from my nightmares. I blame the nightmare for granting me the curse of a wolf phobia).

" Hey, Dominic. You feeling alright?" Tristan asked with a slight tap on my arm (he usually sat next to me in music class, in case you were wondering how he got there so fast).

I jumped so high that I swear I could have touched the ceiling if I tried. With my eyes wide and my breath coming in quick pants, I turned to face the brown haired boy. Honest to God, I thought that my heart was going to leap out of my chest, I was that scared. Slowly, I turned my head to face my desk to try and avoid all contact with the cloud wolf and with my friends. I probably shouldn't have given Tristan the cold shoulder (what with what goes down at his place), but I was freaking out big time. And the overhead projection of the wolf in front of me, along with the other animals, wasn't helping to calm me down very much.

" I know, I know. This is music class. Not biology or history class. But this is only going to be a quicky to wrap up the 'call of the wild' question." I just managed to comprehend the small giggles from some of the class when Mr Pyrrhus attempted to speak in modern slang. " We have a wolf, which Lee explained earlier, as well as an eagle, a lion, a whale, and a cicada. Now can anyone tell me a little bit about these animals in accordance to myths?"

" The eagle is a symbol of the Greek god Zeus." Lance's crush, Maria Fernandez said.

" Moby-Dick!" One of the jocks, Bobby McCallum, screamed out.

That just earned him a couple of weird looks, mostly by his fellow jocks. I hate to say it guys, but Bobby does know how to read… unlike other people in the class. (I say that with resentment because I'm one of them.)

" Aslan!" Another jock countered.

This just sent Bobby into competition mode. " Moby-Dick!"

" Aslan!"

" Moby-Dick!"

" Aslan!"

" White whale!"

" Golden lion!"

" Ghost of the Oceans!"

" King of the world!"

" Hey! I'm the king of the world!" Lance protested in an attempt to silence them.

" Shut up, Sissy." The Aslan follower growled.

" What did you just say?"

Lance had stood up so fast that his chair had tipped over. His jaw was tight and his fist was clenched. The look in his eye was pure murder. You see, both he and Keoni were sensitive when it came to their surname. And trust me, you would be too if you were a guy and your last name was Miranda. The growl instantly snapped me out of my fear and I looked at Tristan. We both knew that if we didn't do something now, things could turn ugly fast. My first thought was get Lance to sit back down… but apparently Tristan had other ideas.

" Didn't some Greek person get turned into a cicada? Ganythos or… or Tithomedes?"

" You mean Tithonos?" Katyana corrected him.

" Yes! That guy!"

All eyes turned to Tristan. It wasn't very often that the rest of the class heard him speak because he usually kept to himself. So to hear him pretty much scream out his questions was kind of a shock to the system. No one was expecting something like that. But the main thing was that it gained us Lance's attention and we were able to silently plea to him that he should sit down again before someone called the principal. Thankfully, he did.

Mr Pyrrhus, however, wasn't focussing on the other students like he should have been with the scowl that was planted on his face. He was looking straight at me. I felt like screaming out 'I did nothing wrong!' but my voice wouldn't work for me. Then his face broke into a really cocky smile and I got the feeling that that cocky smile was merely a glimpse of what his true personality was really like. That feeling made me wonder if I should be scared for my life. I probably should have taken that advice while I still had the chance.

" _I know you know the answer to that last image, Dominic Smith."_ My music teacher said so faintly I wondered why no one else was able to hear his voice. _" Tell me the story behind the wolf. Tell me which Greek god claimed them as one of his sacred animals."_

" Apollo." I said aloud, causing all eyes to turn to me. Don't ask me how I knew that. I just did.

" What was that Dominic?"

I blinked. Maybe I'd only been imagining Mr Pyrrhus talking to me. When I looked into his expecting eyes, I realised that my imagination was actually reality. I did the only thing I could think about doing; I answered. " The wolf was his sacred animal."

" Well done."

" What?!" Lee exclaimed, horrified.

Can I just ask a question? Why does it seem like today's music class is playing a game of verbal tennis? I ask this, because all eyes turned to Lee. His face was pale and he was clutching at his left upper arm like it was hurting him. Honestly, I thought he was going to be sick or something like that. I think Katyana was thinking the same thing because she got this really worried look on her face like she had been told to prepare for something concerning the boy.

" I guess you learn something new every day." My Pyrrhus didn't seem at all fazed by the sudden outburst.

" But… that's…" Lee continued.

" Lee…" Katyana called quietly in an attempt to calm him down.

" But… he… Pan…"

" I know. We'll talk about it later."

" But… they… Pan… he… lies…"

By this time most of the class was thinking that the guy was a lunatic. I admit, I was thinking the same thing. Mr Pyrrhus, on the other hand, decided then to take things into his own hands. " I would like to see you at the end of class, please, Mr Harvey-King."

" You?" Lee questioned quietly, still in his daze.

Then his grey eyes grew dark. Very dark. Like, shadow dark. The rest of the class turned away from him, probably afraid of the dark look in his eyes. But my own vision remained trapped in his direction. I tried to pull my vision away, but it was caught on his bronze wristband. For a second I thought that it had shimmered into the form of a bronze sword. The sound of chairs scraping the floor finally managed to break me from my trance.

People were getting up and going to the shelves to pick up one of the various hand-held instruments or sitting at the keyboards. By the time I realised that we were doing some prac time, almost everyone was sitting with either a triangle, a pair of bongo drums, a xylophone, a guitar or at the keyboards or at the two drum sets we had at the back of the room. Some of the class also had maracas or tambourines in hand. There were even a couple of recorders. The teacher was with Lee over by the second drum kit, telling him to 'just hit it'. Personally, I thought Lee looked petrified at sitting at a complete drum kit.

This, of course, left nothing for me. But I wasn't too worried about that. Where there is weakness, there is also strength. And music of any sort, be it drums or bagpipes or even singing, was a definite strength in my case. Give me any musical instrument, any at all, and I'll be able to play it like a pro by the end of the week. I was that good; the school's band master (who was not Mr Pyrrhus) always asked me if I could help out every now and then to tutor some bad players or to fill in for someone in a major concert. Though, for some strange reason, I could never shake the sense that I was helping an older brother whenever this happened. And I'm going off on one of my tangents again, aren't I?

Anyway, while Lee was busy being petrified and our teacher was trying to calm him down enough to take hold of the drum sticks (seriously, what was wrong with that guy today?), I looked over to the only other unattended instrument in the room. It was the golden instrument that Mr Pyrrhus had placed on his table. By this time I was sure that it was a lyre (I remember, just vaguely mind you, about painting something like that in class one time when I first started at McKinnley, but the image was of two guys in togas. One of the guys was receiving a turtle shell and cow gut lyre from the other guy in exchange for some cows). I was also sure that it was not a normal lyre, if that was at all possible. My thoughts were proven when the golden D shaped lyre was replaced with the same turtle shell and cow gut lyre that I had painted way back then. And just as quickly as it had gone, the D shaped lyre was back, sitting on the desk.

Thinking I was dreaming, I pinched myself. I blinked a couple of times, too, just to make sure I wasn't dreaming. That was twice today that something changed shape. The next thing I know, Jayden is going to find his way to school, pull up a trampoline under the music room window and start jumping on it. Then again, if he did do that it would prove one of two things; one, he really was insane or two, he wasn't as dumb as I first thought he was. Not to mention how freaky it would be to see a full grown black, white and tan St Weiler jumping on a trampoline.

" _Go ahead."_ Someone whispered in my ear. _" Take it. It will prove to those who matter that you are my son."_

Slowly I turned to look over my shoulder only to find that Mr Pyrrhus had handed out today's music sheet and was beginning to teach the class how to play the piece. I recognised the song instantly. It was one of Gran's favourites… and the same song that was playing in the hallway. I found that weird because I was pretty sure that song that was playing in the hallway was an ancient civilisation funeral song, not a Gran's era song. But one thing got me. There was no one behind me. And the only thing in front of me was a glowing golden lyre.

Taking a deep breath, I made my way down to the teacher's desk. Someone called out to me from the back of the classroom, probably trying to figure out what I was doing, but I ignored them and continued on. The lyre glowed brighter with every step I took towards it. Either it was glad that I was going to take it or it was preparing itself for an attempted theft.

But when I touched the instrument, it was stone cold… almost as if whatever it was connected to was lost somewhere. I should have realised that this small difference would be useful later. Instead I just shrugged it off and picked up the lyre. Warmth flowed through me as I lifted it off the table and carried it over to the back of the classroom. But it was a sad warmth. One thing was for certain, though. The second I touched it, I wanted to right what was wrong.

" Dominic Smith." Mr Pyrrhus called, and I instantly got the feeling that I was in trouble. " Two things."

" Yes, Sir?" I asked uncertainly.

" First, I'm going to need you to stay back after the lesson as well. I need to talk to both you and Lee."

" Yes, Sir."

" Now, the second thing. Can you accompany me on that lyre? I feel the need for a demonstration and you are the only person I can think of who can help me with that. Can you do that?"

" What would you like me to play?"

" Whatever is within your soul. Let the lyre sing."

I did just that. I took the pick in hand and ran it over the strings. The music came naturally… even more naturally than any other instrument that I had picked up (and I had picked up a lot). But what got me was that I was playing the exact song that I had heard in the hallway. Mr Pyrrhus seemed to catch on quick though, and before I knew it, he was singing a really depressing Ancient Greek song that had probably been lost for aeons.

The unfortunate thing about music, whether it be a song or class, is that it always has to come to an end. Before I knew it, the bell had rung for last period.


	3. Discoveries And A Plea For Help

**You probably think I've abandoned this. Don't worry, guys. I haven't done anything of the sort. I'm not like some people out there. It just took me a while to get this up. Hope you enjoy. And please do tell me what you think of it.**

* * *

**Search For The Twin:**

**_Discoveries And A Plea For Help_**

Once the last of the kids in my class had hurried out of the room, Lee carefully made his way over to his table and began packing his things. I followed his example once I had returned the lyre to the teacher's desk. Or, at least, I tried to. For some reason, the instrument did not want to be let go. And if I managed to let go, it magically found itself back in my hands. It was actually quiet annoying considering I was trying to put my things in my bag. Eventually, the instrument and I had an agreement (if you could call it that); I put it on my desk and it let me pack my bag.

Unfortunately, as soon as my bag was packed and on my back, the lyre returned to my hands. It practically glued itself there. I was actually tempted to wave my hand in the air and see if it was going to stay attached to my hand like they did in cartoons, but the look Mr Pyrrhus was giving me told me not to try it. Damn.

Lee, on the other hand, was watching me like he was able to read my every thought like an open book. Either that or he was trying to figure something out. And whatever that something was, I got the feeling that it had something to do with that feeling from lunch that told me not to completely trust his little group. That feeling intensified when Lee knelt in front of Mr Pyrrhus as if he was someone of a much higher status than teacher.

" I'll get you out of the way first, Mr Harvey-King." My music teacher said with a slight sigh. " Rise, boy, and take a seat. Both of you. This will take some time."

Confused, I took my seat and watched as Lee stood from his place on the floor. However, instead of sitting in his chair like I thought he would, he leaned against his desk. His wolfish features led me to believe that, if he were that animal at that moment in time, he would be standing on high alert for any sign of danger, watching his opponent's every move. Either Mr Pyrrhus didn't realise or else didn't care because he was casually filing papers and placing them in his bag. He didn't even spare one glance at the lyre that he had entered the room with.

" Your ancestors were cursed by Pan, yes." Mr Pyrrhus told Lee in a matter-of-fact voice that made me think that this topic had been visited before. " However, before Pan even laid the curse, he had to come to me as the wolf is my sacred animal. To be honest, Lysias' mother was actually lucky that she did not come to me first. If she had, you would not even exist this day."

" Well that's nice to know." Lee muttered under his breath.

" It is, isn't it."

Lee merely glared. I got the feeling that his response was meant to be sarcastic.

" Anyway," Mr Pyrrhus continued. " you were not cursed by me and so I was not deserving of an apology. But it was I who, along with Athena and Hermes, brought your letter to Zeus' attention. My son's death was not your fault and I don't hold you to that. But I do expect you to honour your promise to find and protect his brother."

That's when the both of them turned to me. Instantly I felt like I had been suspected of a crime that I never committed. And it didn't feel very good, let me tell you. Without thinking, my hand found its way to my neck and around the half charm that was there. The pendant was half a sun; four sun rays and the sun's centre. And I always reached for it whenever I felt threatened or uncomfortable. My grandparents always said that my twin brother had the other half and that the pendant's halves gave the wearer some kind of strength or hope. But for some reason, it stopped its 'magic' on the fourth of July… like my wolf nightmares starting. And this time was no exception.

" Dominic." Mr Pyrrhus said in a grave tone. " You need to understand that you are the son of a Greek god. Apollo to be exact."

" That's not possible." I muttered.

" You're wrong." Lee replied. " Believe me. I'm the son of Athena."

" I thought Athena was a maiden goddess."

" She is."

" Then, how…?"

" It's complicated."

I accepted that answer. What I didn't accept was that I was a son of a god that was supposed to be dead… if you could kill someone who was immortal that is. I must have tuned out after that because Lee got a solemn look on his face as he looked at me. Mr Pyrrhus also got a distant look about him like he was wishing that he could have prevented something. Seconds passed into minutes without me understanding what had just been said. But finally, after two worried glances in my direction, my brain allowed me to hear the words.

" Dominic. Your brother, John, is dead."

" What?" I asked. " That… that's not right. I don't have a brother."

The effect was immediate. Lee exploded with explanations on this supposed brother of mine. Mr Pyrrhus looked like he was trying to figure out the best way to explain something. And I was shrinking further and further into my seat from the battering I was getting from Lee. I guess that wasn't the kind of answer that they wanted to hear. But what could I say? Maybe I did have a brother, but my mind certainly wasn't accessing those kinds of memories.

What happened next would change my life forever.

" Lee, show Dominic the pendant." Mr Pyrrhus ordered.

Rather reluctantly, the grey-eyed boy pulled from beneath his shirt a pendant similar to mine. No. Not similar. The other half. I stared at it as I remembered seeing that exact half of the pendant on the boy in my grandparents' picture. If that was what I thought it was, then how did Lee get a hold of it?

" John gave it to me before he died, telling me to find you and take you back to camp." Lee explained, taking the pendant off and handing it to me.

With slightly shaking hands, I took the pendant from him and held out my own half. I didn't know what drove me to put the two together, but the instant I had, everything change. I was no longer sitting in the classroom; that was for sure. What I couldn't understand was how I got into a hospital. Then I looked closer and noticed that my grandparents were in the room… holding two babies who looked exactly alike. With a start I realised that they were me and John.

Before I had any conformation, thought, the scene changed and I was witnessing the separation of me and my brother. We were four when our mother was killed in a train accident. By some unforseen luck, the two of us were the only survivors. And when I say 'some unforseen luck', I also include the fact that the both of us came out of the entire accident with only scratches down our arms, face and back and the odd bruise here and there.

The doctors insisted that we stay in the hospital for a few days. But when they tried to separate the two of us, we put up quite a fight. I kicked one of the doctors so hard that he was rolling on the floor in pain crying like a little girl. John threw something at the other doctor which hit the guy square in the head and knocked him unconscious. We both looked at each other, smiled evilly and high-fived each other before deciding to go play in the play area. The doctors and nurses weren't pleased one bit. At least we got to stay together, though.

After that, the scene changed to my grandparents' house. John and I were still together, but this time Uncle Derrick was there with a big suitcase that I was sure was filled with John's things. My hunch turned out to be correct when, kicking and screaming, John and I were separated. Not one month later, I was faced with a new stud male Saint Bernard who had not been trained properly as a pup. Needless to say, he underwent intense training from Grandpa and I wasn't allowed to go near his run until he had been desexed when he turned six.

The memories just flew past after that day, filling in the gaps that my mind had yet to remember. Before I knew it, I was witnessing my brother's cause of death… a wolf. Just another reason why I hate wolves. Now I understand why I felt so empty on the fourth of July. Now I understand why, for months, I had been having this one nightmare about a wolf killing everyone. Now I understand why Gran and Grandpa were worried when I mentioned John during breakfast this morning. It was because of the twin telepathy thing that people say twins are supposed to have. I really had lost my brother to a wolf.

_And now you know your history, Dominic._ Mr Pyrrhus's voice penetrated my mind, turning the images black. _But in order to know what lies ahead of you, you must go with Lee Harvey-King, Katyana Rose, and your brother, Will Solace, to their camp. Will has the letter for your grandparents. They already know your situation. _

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. My music teacher was basically ordering me to some camp that my new friends went to. And my grandparents were in on this as well. I know what it's like to feel left out of something, but this was ridiculous. My life was, basically, in the hands of three kids that I barely even knew. And those same kids were going to be taking me away from my family and friends… from my home.

Before I could do anything to protest my leave, an image of a man in his mid to late teens was thrown into my face. What got me was that this guy had an uncanny appearance much like Mr Pyrrhus. In fact, if it wasn't for the fact that I should be in the same room as my music teacher, I would have said that it was him. His white jumper and dark pants were torn all over the place and gold blood had dried around the ragged edges. Scratches and bruises also marred whatever skin was exposed. At his ankles and wrists were thick bronze chains that I didn't like the looks of. And even though his head was limp across his chest I knew that this was the guy who got my mother pregnant… and who owned the lyre.

_I need your help Dominic._ His voice echoed through my head shortly before I was thrust back into the waking world by the sound of the home bell.


	4. Suspicions

**Sorry for the long wait, but I think I'm starting to get my fan fiction groove back. I'll try to work on the next chapter a lot quicker this time around. But hopefully you like this one and continue to follow the story until the end.**

* * *

**Search For The Twin:**

_**Suspicions**_

When I woke up, I was in the sick bay. Lee must have somehow managed to get me there from the music room after I had blacked out… if you could call it that. The curtain was drawn so there wasn't much to see except blue fabric and cream walls, but I could definitely hear voices. Clear in the argument was the nurse who was saying stuff like 'I can't let you in' and 'his grandparents have been called' and other stuff like that. The others, I wasn't so sure about.

What I was sure about was that I knew exactly what had happened. The last time something like this happened, or so I was told, I had absolutely no idea who anybody was. The only people I recognised were my grandparents and Jayden (who was a runaway two year old at the time and had decided that he wanted to follow my grandparents to the school). But now I knew… well, _everything. _And to prove that, both halves of my pendant were around my neck.

Slowly, not believing what I saw in those images, I took the new half in hand. There was nothing fascinating about the front; it was the back that I wanted. Sure enough, the name _John Aaron Smith _was etched into the back of the silver metal. Under that, was his dates of birth and death _20/11/1996 – 4/7/2012_, the new addition being his death date. Taking my own half in hand, I knew that it was true. The name _Dominic Jonas Smith_ seemed to stare up at me like it never wanted me to forget it. The date _20/11/1996 _seemed to dare me to defy the fact that John was ever my twin. I knew instantly that it was all true.

Almost instantly, the hollow feeling that had been in my stomach since the fourth of July returned with a vengeance. I had managed to ignore it before now. But now it actually felt like someone had ripped my stomach out of my body using a white hot iron hook and sprayed the open wound with citrus juices and burning oil. I really did have a twin brother and his name really was John Aaron Smith and he really was dead. That, however, didn't stop me from wondering why on this godforsaken planet had I not remembered, not known. Was there something I was missing here or were the lyrics already written and just waiting for the music?

Quietly, I sat up and looked around. Now that my memory was back, I remembered how easily it was to sneak out of the sick bay window without detection (I had been desperate to get away from some weird looking school nurse a couple of years back and managed to escape through the window. Needless to say, I fell into a trash can and managed to get the principal to find a new school nurse considering the old one 'mysteriously' disappeared after I threw the trash can lid at her face like a discuss). The next five minutes was spent searching for my school bag and escaping the sick bay via the window, this time without the trash can. One thing was for sure, though. I needed to get home.

" Lord, give me speed." I prayed quietly as I waited for the perfect opportunity to make my escape.

That was when the next weird moment happened, unfortunately. Now don't get me wrong. I did manage to get out of the school without getting noticed. It was on the way home that things got weird. I was just turning onto the street that would get me home when I was jumped by a gang of weird looking seal dogs. No, I'm not kidding. These things _definitely_ weren't human. What made it worse was that they were holding pitch forks… at my throat.

" Looky, looky, boys. A son of that no good Olympian god who can't take his eyes off the mortal females." One of them said, though it sounded more like a bark than anything else.

" fool! All the gods are like that!" another, larger seal dog growled.

" I meant the one who drags the sun around all the time!"

" Oh, that god."

" Yes, dim wit. That god."

" I have no idea what you are or what you're talking about, so I'm going to go home now." I said, inching away from the creatures.

" Oh no, son of Apollo. You don't understand. We're tired and hungry… and we'd prefer to kill you quickly." The second creature said.

That was when everything happened at once. First, the creatures began attacking me with their pitch forks, driving me back the way I had come. Second, the grass on the side of the road began to grow. Now I know what you're going to say. Grass grows all the time. But I don't think it's natural for grass to grow to the size of a tall person and start strangling weird creatures in a matter of minutes. And last but not least, two bronze arrows (one of which was sporting a punching glove) zipped past both sides of my head and into two of the creatures, instantly turning them into gold dust that fell in piles on the ground.

" Dominic!" I heard Lee call behind me. " Get back!"

I don't know what happened next, but Mr Pyrrhus's lyre materialised back into my hand and the creatures backed away from me in fear. Before I realised what I was going, my fingers strummed against the strings and a loud boom rang in my ears, causing my eyes to shut tight as gold dust went flying everywhere. When I opened my eyes again, there was no one in front of me. Even the grass had shrunk back to normal size. I could almost sense people behind me, covering their ears and otherwise protecting themselves from the boom. But I was scared and confused and decided that home was a much safer place that the streets at that moment. I didn't even bother to turn around and check that I wasn't being followed by anyone or anything else.

As soon as I got home, I practically slammed the front door locked and charged up into my room, locking that door as well. From the hallway, I heard both of my grandparents call out to me asking what was wrong (they must have only just been getting ready to pick me up from the school sick bay). But I ignored them and sat curled up on my bed using my new found memory to sort out what had just happened.

The first thing I did was follow what my music teacher had said about my dreams and compared the angry wolf to Lee and what had been said about my brother's death. I had reason to believe that a wolf had killed my brother, in fact I had proof. I trusted what my eyes saw, and if they said that my brother had been killed by a wolf then I believed it. But I wasn't sure how Lee played a part in this story. So I put it aside and started to sort out the rest of the day's events.

My thoughts instantly turned to what the creatures and what Mr Pyrrhus had said about me being a son of a god from an ancient civilisation. I still didn't understand how the ancient gods could still be alive. So I _definitely_ didn't understand how I could be the son of one of those gods. Something was definitely not right about this situation. And if we added Lee and his claim that he was the son of a goddess who was sworn to _never_ give birth… well, you'd wonder about that too if you heard that come out of the mouth of someone who knew.

But something was pressing hard on my mind… something that made me wonder if everything that had been seen and said was actually true. Looking at the golden lyre beside me on the bed, I pretty much knew that was real. It was practically humming with magic and power. That in turn led me to wonder if it was the instrument which made those seal dog creatures literally go boom. Unfortunately, I couldn't think of the lyre and not think of the arrows or the grass. If fact, all three of those other attacks led me to believe that Katyana, Lee and Will were behind them. Something was always telling me that those three weren't to be entirely trusted. And, to be honest, I believed my gut instinct a lot more than I did anything else.

Unfortunately, my thoughts were ruined when Grandpa banged on my door.

" Dominic! Get down stairs this instant! Your grandmother and I need to speak to you and we can't do that with you locked up in here, understood? I want to see you in the lounge room within five minutes!" He growled through the door.

With a deep sigh, I got off my bed… and instantly began having another argument with the golden instrument that had glued itself to my hands again. Of course, it was a one sided argument. But I honestly felt like it was telling me it wanted to go down stairs with me. After a good three minutes, we both finally agreed that, if it wanted to come with me, the lyre needed to look less obvious. And that was how I left my room and went down stairs with a golden set of apparently extremely powerful Maserati Spyder car keys.

Sometimes I wonder how messed up my life really is.

Unfortunately for me, as soon as I stepped into the lounge room, I wished I hadn't. The three people who I was hoping not to see were helping themselves to a mug each of Gran's famous herbal tea. At Grandpa's side, on the coffee table next to his chair, was a letter. Standing off in the corner was a confused and slightly worried looking Lance. I figured he must have shown them which house I lived in and was invited in for tea. But one thing was buzzing in my mind. And that was that what was going to happen next was going to change my life and unless I wanted to be happy working with Saint Bernards, I should leave those three.

" Dominic." Grandpa started, a look I have never seen before plastered onto his face. " We got a call from school saying that you had collapsed again. Is this true?"

" Yes, Grandpa." I replied.

" And you ran away again, I see."

" I'm sorry, Grandpa."

Grandpa merely shook his head. " I should have known that this day would come."

That's when I realised why I had never seen that look on his face before. He would yell at me, order me around and push me to my limits. But he would also help me and calm me down when I needed it. He was teaching me everything I needed to know for life and Gran was helping him by teaching me how to care for myself. Only now, the pupil had surpassed the master… and the master was afraid of what the future had in store for his pupil.

My grandfather was scared…

Just like I was.

" What are you saying, Grandpa?" I asked tentatively.

" Dominic. Pack your things." The old man said, refusing to answer my question.

" What? No!"

" You'll need your essentials plus some summer and winter clothing."

" Grandpa, I'm not…"

" If you want, you can take your instruments. But make sure you have your album and some other things to pass your time."

" Grandpa, you're not listening…"

" Also, you can take Old John's trophy and Old Dominic's ribbon. And make sure you have their pictures with them that way you remember yours and your brother's namesakes."

" Listen to me, Grandpa. I'm not…"

" I've also decided to give you Brutus's ribbon and trophy. He was the first dog you ever showed. You deserve them."

" Grandpa."

" Don't forget to pack anything of great importance to you that I have forgotten to mention."

" Grandpa."

" There's a big suitcase with your name on it in the spare room wardrobe."

" Gran, can't you do something?"

" Oh, I almost forgot. You'll need your swimmers and some towels."

" Gran?"

" And don't worry. Your grandmother and I will take good care of Jayden. Now off you go."

" Grandpa. I'm not going anywhere."

Silence fell. And the look on Grandpa's face turned from scared to red. Slowly, I began to back away. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Lance do the same. Gran, however, was still shocked about everything that was happening. She had yet to answer my earlier question. But judging from the pale look of her face, I was willing to let it pass. In fact, her being scared was making me even more scared. Finally the silence was broken by Will.

" Dominic. You need to understand that monsters like those telekhines…" He started.

" Those what?" I interrupted.

" Those seal dog things." Katyana supplied.

" Anyway, now that you know what you are, monsters are going to come for you and kill you. That's why we're here. We need to take you to a place where you can learn how to protect yourself from those monsters." Will continued.

" And if I don't want to go?" I asked.

" You may as well be classed as a music thief. And… there's something else that only you know about the lyre's owner." Lee replied.

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**I hope you enjoyed this chapter and will wait for the next. I also appreciate your wait for this chapter. Please let me know what you think about it.**


	5. Road Trip

**Again sorry for the long wait. I didn't expect this to go this long without an update. The good news, however, is that I've got a surprise for you coming in the next chapter. Only, you'll have to read this chapter in order to get to the next chapter.**

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**Search For The Twin:**

_**Road Trip**_

It's nine o'clock at night and I am now sitting in the back seat of a silver Maserati GranCabrio. I nearly had a heart attack when Lee told me it was his car. But, thankfully, Will was sitting behind the wheel with Lee watching him intently throughout basically the entire drive. Katyana's sitting beside me, staring at a photo of Tristan which she managed to wrestle out of Lance. I guess the feeling was mutual. Then what was going on with her and Lee earlier? I think I'll discover that when I get to camp.

How did I get here, you wonder? I lost the argument. I think I've told you that you should never cross my grandparents. Well… let's just say that I have a nice bruise starting to form on my upper arm. In other words, I was kicked out 'for my own good'. I'll never forget the look on Jayden's face when I had to say good-bye to him. He looked so heart broken. Lance had to hold him back while the car drove out of sight. I can only imagine how badly he'll react when I don't come back.

" You okay, Nicky?" Katyana asked, looking up at me from her picture of Tristan.

" I guess." I grumbled in reply.

" Don't worry. Everyone at home will be fine. And your grandfather did say that he was going to let your uncle know you'd be in town. You'll be able to stay with him once you've got some training under your belt."

" What if I don't want to train? What if I just want to go home and make my dog happy? What if I just want to spend the rest of my life being with my friends and training and breeding Sun Acres Saint Bernard dogs?"

" There are many people back in camp who don't have a family to return home to, Dominic. Myself included. And our only friends are the ones made at camp. Count yourself lucky." Lee practically growled at me.

_Yeah. Lucky. I'm getting dragged halfway across the country to some strange camp and you call that 'lucky'._ I thought to myself.

At that, I dove back into my thoughts and tried to figure out how I was going to get home. Unfortunately, I was stuck in the car for the entire trip. And despite Will, Katyana and Lee all managing to get some sleep at one point or another, I couldn't even do that. For some reason, every time I closed my eyes I was watching someone burn on a funeral pyre. At one point I caught a glimpse of blond hair, a button nose and freckles under a golden sheet of fabric. The result was that I instantly woke and practically ordered Katyana to stop at the side of the road so that I could be sick. The commotion woke Will and Lee and everyone was on high alert for me from that moment on… much to my disappointment.

Katyana made sure that we stopped at the nearest town and we managed to get something to drink. Will made sure that I had water with me at all times due to the fact that my little nightmare made everyone think that I got car sick. And I was not going to be telling anyone that I had been having a nightmare. So I endured the car ride by watching the stars above us and trying not to fall asleep. When it was time for Will to drive once more (they were driving in three hour intervals), Katyana decided to stay up with me.

" Are you sure you're alright, Dominic?" She asked after a little while.

" I'll be fine as soon as I get home." I replied under my breath.

" You heard your grandfather, Dominic. You're not allowed home until after the winter holidays and the New Year." Will said from the front seat.

" I know. Something about needing to learn a new stage in live."

" Yeah. One that rips you to shreds inside because you'll never be able to see them again." Lee grumbled. " Unfortunately you can only learn it when it happens."

" Lee. Be quiet." Katyana hushed him.

" I'm just saying it how it is."

" How does Karla stand being around you?"

" First; she's an Ares kid. Second; she was there when it happened. She and Glade know better than all of us how to deal with him." Will replied.

" What do you mean 'deal with him'? And what do you mean by 'Ares kid'?" I asked, now really confused.

" You'll find out about the Ares kids when we get to camp." Katyana answered the second part of my question.

" As for Lee, he changed after his quest." Will supplied, as Lee decided he needed to get some more sleep before he felt sick. " To be honest, it happens a lot. This one was sudden and brutal. It hasn't been this bad in a while, though. Ever since… anyway, imagine a captive wolf that had been beaten and was suddenly let loose. Because he was beaten, he believes that all humans cause him pain and so will lunge out at anyone. Along the way, he meets a few wolf friends who manage to calm him down. But one of those friends gets killed and the wolf's emotions spark to dangerous levels."

" Like a wolf going on a killing spree and killing everyone in sight." I whispered, remembering my dream.

" Yeah, you could say that. That's what Lee's like at the moment; unpredictable."

I _knew_ that kid was connected to my wolf dream. But all I managed to get out of my mouth was a small, " Creepy."

Unfortunately, that thought disturbed me so much that it seemed to explode into my mind almost instantly. This time, though, I discovered that the first boy the wolf killed – the one it came out of – actually was Lee. I also noticed the wolf in surprising detail. What was usually a fuzz of black and grey was now mainly dark grey with a black stripe running from its forehead right down its back to cover the entire tip of its tail. It also had a silver mask and underbelly as well as silver paws; the front paws larger than the back. But something eerily familiar in the wolf's eyes reminded me too much of the boy it had supposedly killed.

Then something changed. Usually the wolf would completely ignore me and go hunting for its next victim. Not this time. This time it walked right up to me, grey eyes confused and wary, and sniffed me. Next thing I knew, it was bowing down as if it wanted to play. I should have known that something was horribly wrong. Guess who doesn't listen. If you guessed me, then you guessed right. Somehow, the golden lyre materialised in my hands and the wolf shrank back in fear. Then it opened its jaws and snarled at me. What was even weirder was I could understand him.

" _Tell me the story…"_ The animal snarled, repeating words I had heard earlier that day. _" Which Greek god claimed them…?"_

I wanted to back away, get away from the crazy wolf in front of me, but the lyre had somehow glued my feet to the ground. I couldn't move no matter which way I turned. Until I heard my heart pounding in my chest, I believed that the wolf had somehow managed to turn me into stone. I couldn't even move my eyes away from its constant grey stare. Then it spoke words that I have never heard before in my life.

" _I'm the last of my blood… How can you be so sure…? He's not dead… We've lost friends and family… How can everything not be lost…? You're the only one I trust with this… You are special… Honour your promise… You are the son of a Greek god… Know what lies ahead of you… I need your help."_

" No." I whispered, still trying to back away from the wolf.

The wolf lowered its ears and its eyes seemed to be pleading me to reconsider, but all I saw was a creature getting ready to attack. What made it worse was that the over large canine was repeating the words that it had spoken earlier. In a desperate attempt to get away from the beast, I screamed out and somehow managed to turn the lyre on to destructo-mode. I'm being serious. One minute it was shiny gold the next it was a blinding white that blew everything up.

When I woke up, I was surrounded by trees. Smoke was coming from the sports car which was teetering dangerously over the edge of a pile of boulders. Will and Katyana were lying on the ground around the rocks, just waking up themselves. Lee was nowhere in sight making me wonder if he was still in the car. But at that moment, I freaked. Without realising that I still had the lyre in hand, I got up and ran in the opposite direction, determined to figure out my way home.

" Dominic! Wait!" I heard Katyana's voice behind me.

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**Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter and will wait to find out what my little surprise is. Please tell me what you think of this chapter.**


	6. Failure

**I really have to get my mind running again. Three months! (mutters to herself *dude, you've really got to get out of the Rebels and back into this*). Just so you know, I'm writing a proper book series (which I've dubbed 'The Rebels Series') and that's what's taking up most of my time at the moment. That and school's back again.**

**Anyway, enough about my personal life. I've managed to keep one promise and that was a surprise in this chapter. I hope you like it.**

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**Search For The Twin:**

_**Failure**_

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The first thing I woke up to was the sound of the daughter of Demeter's voice calling out to someone. I couldn't make out what she was saying, but I could make out the desperation in her voice. Apparently something happened that no one was expecting to happen. That was when I felt the car lurch backwards.

Let me tell you now, sitting in the front seat of a car that is falling backwards is not fun. When I lifted my head to try and get my bearings, I noticed that Katyana was tackling Will out of the way before some nearby trees were literally ordered to make sure that the car got down unharmed. Of course, while all this was happening, I let out a few choice words of my own. Needless to say, my parents would have washed my mouth out with soap; be it normal soap or godly soap (if gods use soap, that is).

For my own safety, I decided to tuck myself back into the car. My little, silver GranCabrio baby landed with a thud on the ground a few seconds after I had managed to wedge myself under the glove-box. I also did a mental check list on her and tried to find out her sore spots and if anything was harmed. From what my mind told me, there may be a lot of damage. But I knew that I had to get out and assess the situation properly. Unfortunately there was a slight problem. Somehow I had managed to get myself stuck.

You heard right. I, Lee Harvey-King, Son of Athena, did one of the most stupid things I could have possibly done. I got stuck in a car. Mother would not be pleased.

" Lee? Where are you? Are you okay?" Katyana called out.

" A little help please? I'm under the glove box." I called back.

" What are you doing under there?" Will asked. I could just make out his shadow as he came to the side of the car to find where I was.

" Well, I'm certainly not having a picnic under here, if that's what you're wondering. There should be some oil in the back."

" Do you mean this box thing?" Katyana called out once more.

" Is it red?" I called back.

" Yes."

" Does it have a big 'X' on it?"

" Yes."

" Then that's the one."

" There's just one problem. It's all over the place."

" What do you mean 'it's all over the place'?"

" Let's just say we weren't the only thing that was caught in that explosion." Will replied instead.

" It's leaked, hasn't it?" I guessed.

" Uh, yeah. You could say that."

" Is there any oil at all?"

" I think we can salvage some."

The next few hours were _agonising._ Somehow Will and Katyana managed to slather me in collected oil from the ground and whatever was still in the exploded oil container. But that wasn't the hard part. The hard part was managing to get me out from under the glove box. I'm not sure how many hours had passed, but Apollo was probably halfway across the country by the time Will managed to pull me out from my bad idea of a hiding spot.

The only thing that made my day worse after being slathered in oil and stuck in my own car was that Dominic had gone missing. Why in the world can't anything be simple for once?

" So… what do we do now?" Katyana asked once I had assessed the damage done to my baby.

Both Will and I turned to face her. To be quite honest, she had just asked a 'dumb' question. And already my mind was trying to figure out which way Dominic had gone so that we could get into the car and stop him in his tracks. I guess Will noticed the look on my face and placed his hand on my greasy shoulder.

" We can't go after Dominic, now. We need to get you back to camp. Besides, the supplies are low and the car needs to go see the Hephaestus cabin." He said.

That was how I ended up sitting in the passenger seat and covered in oil while thinking things that Karla and her siblings would probably praise me for, not to mention glaring at Will who had gotten into the driver's seat and was trying to get us back home. Katyana wisely stayed silent in the back. Sometimes I wonder if she's afraid of me…

Anyway, it took us most of the morning to get onto Long Island because the car was that bad which in turn was making me panic even more. How we managed to evade detection from the cops for driving a not so road-worthy vehicle was beyond me. But we somehow managed to chug my poor silver baby (which I have nick-named 'Silver John') into the camp garage where it gave a final clunk before stalling. I think it wanted to get home. I just hope that it didn't die.

Of course, everyone's favourite centaur was quick to show up as soon as we arrived. And by the fact that he had his bow slung over his back made us all realise that he had just come up from the archery range. But the look of relief on Chiron's face was quickly transformed into a mixture of confusion and disappointment when he realised that Dominic wasn't with us.

" Let's go inside." Was all Chiron said.

But it was as he turned around and started to lead us into the Big House that I got a sudden realisation. I'll just put it out to you now. You have got to love light-bulb moments. If you're an Athena kid, they happen often – usually when you least expect it and usually full of idea goodness. Most of the time, however, they mean that something bad is going on… especially for demigods. In my case it was really bad.

Dominic was running off down the road and trying to hitch a ride to the nearest town. Problem number one; _anything_ could pick him up off the street and turn him into a meal. When he eventually did make his way into the nearest town unharmed, he headed straight for the nearest payphone. Problem number two; _any _form of modern day communication device has a one way ticket to getting caught by monsters because of their invisible, weirdo homing devices that they've got on demigods. The last thing I noticed was the gold lyre pin that was on the left side of his shirt. That was when I noticed problem number three.

Dominic had Apollo's lyre.

" Lee? You coming?" Will called, forcing me back into my own reality.

" Dominic." I managed to get out.

" What?"

" Domi… he's…"

That got Will back at my side in an instant. " What's wrong with Dominic?"

" He's got…" By this time, I was on the ground and trying to stay awake. I didn't even realise that my hand was starting to shake.

" Lee?"

" Apollo's lyre."

And just like that, darkness surrounded me.

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**Well? How was it? Please don't get too angry with me about how late it is. And please let me know what you think about this chapter.**


	7. From Bad To Worse

**One month later, I've finished my major story (The Rebels book one which I'm thinking of publishing) and given you a new chapter in 'Search For The Twin'. If you were wondering, it's still in Lee's POV. But I will be bringing Dominic's POV back soon - maybe chapter after next. **

**Either way, I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

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**Search For The Twin:**

_**From Bad To Worse**_

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When I came too, I found myself in the infirmary. My mouth was dry and my skin was cold but I my hearing felt like it had once more returned to wolf form. Only one problem - ever since that day, I haven't been able to transform. The price was too high for it, though. Almost every night I dream about John; how we met, how he saved me, how I saved him, how we found Glade, how I crashed his end of term stage act, and how he died. That last one more often than I can count.

John was my best friend, you see. John Smith was his name. And it wasn't until he was lying on his death bed that I found out that he had a twin brother. That twin brother was Dominic… the idiot who ran away with Apollo's lyre. At the sudden memory, I jumped out of bed and ran for the door, barely registering the sound of hoofs on the floor after me.

" Chiron!" I called at the top of my lungs. " Chiron!"

Judging by the sounds of talking and flames crackling, I figured that everyone would be in the cabin area. When I got there, however, I found I was wrong. It was dinner time. Everyone would be in the dining pavilion. Someone behind me was calling my name, I think trying to get me back into the infirmary. I did the logical thing and ignored them, choosing instead to go find Chiron and tell him what I had just remembered.

" Chiron!" I called again, fully aware of the silence that followed my entrance into the dining pavilion.

" What is it Lee?" the great centaur asked, turning to face me.

" I need to tell you something… something important. It's about Dominic."

Understanding the need for privacy, Chiron moved away from his place at the table and walked up to me. " What is it?"

" Apollo was there, in the school. I think he was looking out for Dominic."

" That's impossible. Lord Apollo has been missing for the past month. No one has been able to find him."

" Not even Artemis?"

" Not even she."

" Then… how could… it must have been an illusion. But… getting off track." I muttered to myself before speaking up so that Chiron could here. " The person I saw was Apollo in disguise. He was teaching the music class that both Dominic and I shared the day we left. During the lesson, Apollo told Dominic to take the lyre that was at the front of the classroom."

" It seems to me that it was just an ordinary music lesson."

" That's the thing. The lyre was Apollo's. Everything about it screamed that it belonged to Apollo. What's worse is that it wouldn't leave Dominic. He had it at the end of class and he had it on the way home from school. Chiron, Dominic has Apollo's lyre." I stressed.

" This mission has become even more serious that before, I believe."

" What do we do?"

" We're going to have to send out a team of heroes to find the boy."

" When can I leave?"

" You're not going anywhere, Lee Harvey King!" Someone roared from across the dining pavilion.

I cringed and swallowed hard. I knew that voice anywhere. Even if she was yelling at me from across a stadium filled with deafening game lovers, I would be able to hear every insult she threw at me. The owner belonged to my girlfriend. And if there is one thing I've learnt from both the Aphrodite cabin and the rest of the camp, it's never cross a member of the Ares cabin on a bad day… especially if that member just so happens to be the one you love.

Sure enough, as I slowly looked over to the Ares table, Karla Townsend was standing as rigid and dark as a tall mountain with the sun behind it. The dagger she always kept tied around her leg was out and piercing the table… again. Her brown eyes were flaming dangerously in my direction. Next to that, her anger seemed to be affecting the rest of the camp because everyone (even other members of the Ares cabin) was cowering before her.

With a growl, she removed her dagger from the table and stormed towards me. To say I was afraid would be an understatement. She looked like she was going to gauge me and then send me as an offering to the gods. It didn't help when Chiron stepped back from me either. I got the feeling that he was telling me that I had to deal with Karla before I did anything else.

" First you run off and make me chase you all the way to the Empire State Building!" Karla yelled, her face turning as red as her cabin. " Then you disappear while I go off on that quest of mine! Then you leave me to deal with _those_ idiots over there on Halloween! Finally you don't bother to call in on me to make sure that I'm not dead!"

" I'm sorry?" I whispered. As soon as I said it, I knew it wasn't enough.

" This Dominic boy has gotten to your head, you've left no room for either me or Glade, and all you say is 'sorry'?" Karla's yell had simmered down slightly to a growl. " Do you see that table over there? The one with my brother sitting at it? The Ares cabin isn't too happy with how you're treating me at the moment. And I'm not too happy about it either. However, unlike them, I know how much John meant to you. I'll give you one last chance. Ruin that and we're over, got it?"

All I could do was swallow hard and nod in fear. With a sharp turn of her heal, Karla marched back to her place at the Ares table and started having an argument with her brothers and sisters. I just stood there, fearing for my life. After a few minutes, the hoofed person behind me finally caught up and started reprimanding me about running from the infirmary, waving his arm like a lunatic as he went off at me. That's when I realised who it was.

" Okay, Glade. I get it. Calm down." I somehow managed to say after what had gone down with Karla.

" Yeah, okay. _Get back to the infirmary now!_" Glade growled. Since when did he growl?

" I'm fine."

" Let me get this straight, you don't feel the cold that is surrounding us?"

" It's cold?"

" I'll take that as a no. Perhaps you should take the time to notice that you are only wearing shorts."

I took his advice and looked down. That's when I noticed that I, indeed, had no shirt on. No wonder some of those Aphrodite girls had been staring at me. Aside from the fact that I had a massive scar in my right side thanks to my insane ancestor where he had bitten me, the training that my father had forced me through as well as the fact that I had once been able to transform (albeit unwillingly) into a wolf had kind of put some muscle on my bones. In other words, I was ripped. And I think that was why those Aphrodite girls had been staring at me, not because of the amount of scars that were on my body.

Licking my lips at the smell of food and noticing my younger brother, Xavier, beckon me towards the Athena table, I turned around and rushed back up to the infirmary where I was sure Glade would have placed a clean shirt for me. Sure enough, on the end of the bed, rested an orange camp shirt. Without stopping, I grabbed the shirt and hurried back out to the dining pavilion, donning the shirt as I ran. By the time I got back, Xavier, the awesome boy, had filled up a plate for me. With a slightly hurried thanks, I took the plate over to the fire and gave the gods about half of the food on the plate.

" To Mum and Apollo. Help me find Dominic… and Apollo." I whispered, trying to make sure that no one else heard me.

I ate quickly, very aware of both Karla and Emmett burning holes into my back. After dinner (and a quick wash-up on my part) Chiron put us all to the test once more in that week's Trails of Strength. Our course, as usual, was to start off at the cabin area and run to the canoe lake, take a canoe across to the other side of the lake, run to the amphitheatre, climb up the benches, run to the climbing wall and climb that once (thank the gods), run down to the beach and into the sound, swim down to the pier, run through the woods (fighting any monster you came across) until you reached the pegasus stables, hop on a pegasus and fly a circuit fighting anyone _not_ in your cabin, land your pegasus and run to the arena where awaited one flag for each member of your cabin as well as Mrs O'Leary, you then had to somehow get out of the arena with your flag and without the friendly hellhound pinning you to the ground. First cabin to get all their flags back to the cabin area won a week's worth of extra dessert… and no cheating allowed.

As soon as we were ready, Chiron blew the conch horn and we were off. I was one of the first to the canoe lake but halfway across the lake, my left shoulder started to ache and forced me back a few people. The climbing wall was my next obstacle. I managed to dodge the lava and falling rocks, but the strain was making my shoulder worse. At least, with the swim to the pier, how you got there didn't matter as long as it wasn't a doggy paddle. And the only monster I came across in the forest was an old hellhound friend of mine (I guess Assassin was still after my blood).

The real problem happened while I was riding a dappled grey pegasus by the name of Admiral. I was fighting against some kid belonging to Nemesis when it happened. One minute I was trying to dodge the kids sword, the next my mind was flung into darkness. In the distance, I could just make out the rush of wind as well as someone calling out, but that was nothing compared to the yelling that I was hearing.

" Let me go! I'm warning you!" For a second, I thought it was John. Then I realised that it was Dominic. He was in trouble.

" Now, now, young colt. Just you calm down. You'll be seeing your father soon enough so just calm down." This new voice sounded like it belonged to a female.

Okay, I have to put it out there. If there is one thing I hate other than snake women, it's any kind of monster woman around John's twin brother. And I had a bad feeling that this woman was of the monster variety. However, I breathed a sigh of relief when I heard the sound of horse hooves walking on concrete… that is until I realised that the woman could trample the idiotic son of Apollo. And what in the name of Hades did she mean by Dominic joining his father?

" I'm not a horse, you weirdo! I'm a human! Now let me go or I'll… I'll… I'll use my keys!" Dominic yelled.

" Keys cannot hurt me, you silly foal."

" Oh, yeah?"

I guess Dominic must have managed to pull out his set of keys because the woman suddenly screamed. And I don't mean like a human; I mean like a horse. I guess she must have been a centauride. The next thing I knew was something had fallen to the ground and Dominic was screaming. After what felt like eternity, the screaming was silenced. The centauride ordered someone to do something that I didn't quite catch then there was silence.

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**Well? How was it? (Somehow I get the feeling that I'm just starting to repeat myself, now) If that's the case, you kind of know what to do... right? If not, please sent a review telling me what you think about this so far.**


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